| A terrorist attack is a phenomenon associated with the occurrence of destructive activities perpetrated by terrorists. A terrorist attack is caused by terrorist activity (see Terorrism). The word "terrorism" is controversial. There is no agreed upon definition, and the way the term is used varies widely. It has descriptive and prescriptive applications, and is often used in its prescriptive (normative) sense to signal that the political violence of an enemy is immoral, wanton, and unjustified. As a result, those accused of being terrorists rarely identify themselves as such, instead using terms such as separatist, freedom fighter, liberator, militant, activist, insurgent, paramilitary, guerrilla, rebel, jihadi, mujaheddin, or fedayeen. |